Signing Off

Words cannot express how much The Clock has meant to me these past four years. I've made some of my best friends through this organization and have learned things I could never learn in classroom. After the countless hours spent in The Clock office over the past four years, it's with a heavy heart that I say my farewells.

First, I'd like to thank all of our faithful readers who pick up the paper each and every Friday. To the ladies in Russell house and Speare, it means so much that you look forward to the Clock each week. To those of you who take the time to share your appreciation, concerns or opinions by way of a letter to the editor, an email, a note slipped under the office door or stopping me on campus to chat about a particular article, keep it up; we love hearing feedback from our readers.

The Clock is in good hands next year, and I trust that they'll continue to reach the level of excellence that we strived for this past year.

I'd like to thank the Clock staff. It has truly been a pleasure working with each and every one of them. To echo what Ben wrote in his Keepin' Time this week, this year's staff was by far the most tight knit group of students I've seen in four years.

I officially pass the torch to my good friend, Rachael Ferranti, who has been acting EIC these past few weeks and will continue her term into the fall. I have no doubts that she'll be make her mark on this organization and bring her own flare to every aspect of the Clock. It's been a blast girl; you'll do great.

At her side, Rachael will have some unbelievably talented journalists.

Little Rachel will pick up Managing Editor. Lil' Rach surprised everyone when she wrote four articles in her first week on the Clock. Alex Hollatz and Danielle Blanchette, our newest editors, will take on A&E and Features, and will, respectively, no doubt fill the large shoes of those they're replacing. Danielle came on board this semester with an amazing drive and determination that is hard to find in students these days. I wish her the best of luck with Features; Allie couldn't have found a better replacement. Alex, you're a lucky man; you were trained by a Clock legend.

Brenna and Katie will continue to lead the photographers in capturing those pictures that get people to pick up the paper. Chris Burbank, who had some awesome hockey coverage this year, will head sports as Eric.  Carly Pelletier will head up our newly developed Video staff and hopefully continue taking photos because her pictures are amazing. The trio of good looks, Colin, Duffy and Alex C. will return to keep the Clock ladies entertained.

The Clock had an awesome senior staff this year. Many of who were new in the fall, but they all stepped up and made me proud to be their EIC. Maegen was always there to make sure each and every article had the necessary commas. Allie made every meeting take twice as long because she wanted to make sure everyone knew what events were coming up. Matt resurrected The Clock Outloud and helped to incorporate more video into the Clock. Betsy kept me sane this year when she took over as Production and Design Manager. I wish you all had joined the Clock sooner and not waited until your senior years. You all rock, and it would have been nice to have you in the office these past few years.

My fellow veteran Clocker, Ben King and I have worked together at the Clock for what seems like forever. I have so much respect for Ben, his love for music, and the way his voice comes out in everything he writes. We bonded nearly three years while jumping through security check-points to get our nicotine fix during layovers on our way to Austin. We've had a good run, Ben and I, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for him.

A huge 'thank you' to our fearless faculty advisor, Scott Coykendall, who fields more angry emails than he lets on. The freedom he gives the staff is what helps us to grow as journalists and individuals, but he's never been more than a phone call away if we need guidance.

I can't write my last piece for the Clock and not recognize some of the Clock alumni who've made the long hours in the Clock bearable. Mike Kashtan, who entrusted me with his legacy, theclockonline.com; Arlin Goss, master of all things photo and a fellow Rhode Islander; Alison Binder, who I credit for my editing and archiving skills; and last, but certainly not least, Kristen Hoffman, who taught me nearly everything to know about being EIC.

Thank you to the Class of 2012 and the rest of the PSU community for a great four years!

Join or Die.

-Veronica Musch